Friday The 13th 2
by NintendoGal55
Summary: On Friday, October 13th, Arnold and pals go off to Crystalline Island to find out the truth of the urban legend regarding the child that had drowned in the lake off the island... Friday The 13th once again strikes its bad luck. A/H & G/P
1. The Legend of Crystalline Island

**Whoo! Here we go, folks. I'm going to now write a fic based on a typical urban legend episode of the show. XD I was inspired after reading Darth Roden aka Carl's fic "The House on Wylie's Wharf", which was AWESOME. Not only was it like watching a "scary urban legend" episode of the show, but it also contained a little love between the top two pairings, which were all done so adorably. :D**

**So, I'm now going to make one of my own! **

**Inspiration from the aforementioned fic, and of course, the day of bad luck. Friday The 13th! If you saw the "Friday The 13th" episode, you'll know what I'm talking about. XD **

**So what's the urban legend for this? Well, read and find out! You'll probably catch a little something familiar. :D**

**All characters are owned by Craig Bartlett.**

--

"Man oh MAN! Arnold, do you know what tomorrow is?"

"Friday, isn't it?"

"No no! Not just that!" Gerald said, shaking his head. "Tomorrow is Friday the 13th! In October! If you think Friday the 13th is bad luck, try havin' it on a Friday in October! Scariest month of the year!"

Arnold gave a scoff. "Come on, Gerald. You and I both know that Friday The 13th is just a bogus hoax to scare kids. Come on, you saw what Wolfgang and Edmund were doing last time, to make us believe it."

Gerald shook his head and tossed the basket ball into the hoop. "That's not what I'm sayin', Arnold!"

"Then what do you mean?" Arnold asked, curious.

"Wow, football head, I'm surprised you didn't know!"

The boys turned to see Helga and Phoebe approaching them in the playground, along with Sid, Stinky, Eugene, Curly, and Harold.

"So am I, seriously!"

"Boy howdy, can someone enlighten me too? I'm kind of confused here."

"Dang, I can't believe you fellers don't know about what tomorrow is!" Said Stinky.

"What is tomorrow? I don't get it." Arnold wanted to know.

"Well, um, Gerald, why don't you tell us what tomorrow is?" Phoebe said, casting a shy glance toward Gerald. "I do believe it's an urban legend."

Gerald smiled at her with a nod, making her blush, and faced the group. "Don't mind if I do, babe." He cleared his throat, and began his story. "It all started...back on Friday, October 13th, 1950. It happened on Crystalline Island, there was this boy named Jackson Vanderburgh. He was eleven years old, and his mom had just gone to sail off to the main land to do some grocery shopping and get him a birthday present, since it was his birthday that very day. She had hired some local teenagers to babysit Jackson while she was gone. But later on, Jackson wanted to go swimming in the lake, but the babysitters weren't paying attention to him. He tried to tell them over and over, but they didn't listen.

See, Jackson couldn't swim on his own, so he decided to go and give it a try. He went out onto the dock, and jumped into the water. But the water was too deep for him, and his legs got tangled up in seaweed, he tried to swim and keep himself above the surface. He called for help, but the babysitters weren't paying attention to him. Unfortunately, the poor boy drowned. But wait! That's not all!"

"There's more?" Arnold asked, feeling a strange feeling at the pit of his stomach.

"Oh yes." Eugene said, nodding sadly.

"Continue, Gerald." Phoebe said.

"Thank you, Pheebers." Gerald grinned at her, and she blushed again. "Anyway, so then Mrs. Vanderburgh comes back, and she finds out what happened to her son, and that the babysitters weren't paying attention. She got real mad, and took an ax, and killed all of the babysitters with it. But then this one kid from town, his name was Alex Kenneth, who was a friend of the babysitters who were killed, took Mrs. Vanderburgh's ax, and he cut off her head! Then...before the clock struck midnight on that very night, Jackson rose from his watery grave, covered in seaweed, lookin' like a zombie, and wearing a football helmet...he took the ax, and killed Alex with it. And ever since then, legend has it that on every Friday the 13th in October, Jackson will rise from his grave in the water and kill anyone who comes to the island..."

"Whoa... That's a very sad story, and so creepy." Sid said.

"Oh, it's probably just another silly urban legend used to scare kids." Arnold said, shaking his head. "Come on Gerald, how many times have we fallen into a scary situation that just turned out to be a misunderstanding or a prank?"

"That may be true Arnold, but I'll bet you this story is true!" Gerald exclaimed.

"Yeah fellers, I had this cousin once who went to Crystalline Island on Friday The 13th." Stinky said.

"What happened to him?" Asked Eugene.

Stinky shook his head solemnly. "He never came back. No one ever saw him again after that. They found his boat the next day...it was a huge wreck, hacked to pieces with an ax."

"Boy howdy!" Sid exclaimed. "Th-That's scary!"

"Oh come on, I'm sure it was just a coincidence, he might have been in an accident." Said Arnold.

"Well football head, if you believe it's a prank, why don't you just go there tomorrow night and see what happens? Unless of course, you're scared." Helga challenged.

"I'm not scared." Arnold said, turning to her. "Fine, I'll accept your challenge. I'll go to Crystalline Island tomorrow night, on Friday the 13th. And I'll prove this is all a silly story. Who's with me?"

"Oh, I'll go with you, Arnold!" Eugene volunteered. "I've always wanted to go on a scary adventure!"

"I don't want to go!" Harold shivered. "But if I don't go, I'll be chicken! So I'll have to go!"

"I'm definitely in!" Curly declared, pumping his fist. "You can count on me! I'll face this Jackson and fend him off with my bear hands!"

"Uh...that's okay man, you guys can go! I'll just uh...stay behind and cheer you on! Yeah!" Gerald said nervously.

"I have to concur with Gerald, it sounds a little dangerous. The island is supposed to be condemned, anyway." Phoebe said, also nervous.

Helga shot them both a glare. "Oh no you guys don't! You're coming along or you'll have to answer to Old Betsy!"

"Coming." Phoebe said meekly.

"I'm with you, man." Gerald said, and held Phoebe's hand to comfort her. The petite Japanese girl blushed a bit and squeezed his hand back.

"What about you guys?" Arnold asked Sid and Stinky.

"Can't make it tomorrow, I have a dentist appointment." Said Sid.

"I gotta help my daddy unload the junk in the basement." Stinky shook his head.

"Wimps." Helga muttered.

"What about you, Helga? Are you coming too?" Arnold challenged her. "You don't have to, you know. If you're too scared to."

"In your dreams, bucko! Of course I'm going!" Helga leaned down toward his level, the tips of their noses touching. "I'm not scared of a measly abandoned island!"

"Fine then. We'll meet at the pier tomorrow night at 8 PM."

"We'll be there, football head."

"Good."

"Fine!"

The two continued on their little staring contest, neither one of them willing to blink or break it off.

--

**Yep, that's right! You guessed it. This little urban legend is based on the **_**Friday The 13**__**th**_** movie franchise! Just changed around, of course. So I hope you guys will enjoy it! :D **

**I changed around the dates, to make it all fit. In the movies it was in 1957 that Jason drowned. After some researching, I found 1950 had a Friday the 13****th**** in October, so that was perfect! And it's in 2000 that I found has a Friday the 13****th**** in October.**

**Voorhees was changed to Vanderburgh. Jason became Jackson, duh. XD Pamela is now Patricia (though it won't be mentioned until later).**

**June 13****th**** is Jason's birthday, and I changed it here to make it October 13****th****.'**

**Instead of a camp, it's an island. **

**The babysitters represent the counselors.**

**Crystalline represents Crystal Lake.**

**The Hockey mask is replaced with a Football helmet.**

**Alex is Alice, from the first movie and part of the second movie. Story is basically the same, just changed a little in time of death.**

**The ax is replacing the machete. Couldn't think of a good weapon. XD**

**And so on and so forth.**

**Have fun! Readers beware, you're in for a scare!**


	2. Night Sailing

It was Friday, October 13th.

Friday the 13th.

The day of bad luck.

And now, the day of a few tragic deaths.

It was 7:55, Gerald, Arnold, Phoebe, Helga, and Harold were at the pier, waiting for Eugene and Curly.

"Sheesh, where are they?" Helga muttered.

"It's only five to eight, Helga, I'm sure they'll be here soon." Arnold reasoned.

"Whatever, football head.

When he looked away, she couldn't help but steal a glance at him, her face slowly softening. There was just something about looking at her beloved that made her feel so much better. Especially these days. Despite the anxiety running up within her about all this, as well as other aspects, she always felt so calm and relaxed when she looked at him. The way his golden hair seemed to come off as an angelic halo along his oblong head, his soft, gentle green eyes, and his lips, oh, those addicting lips she longed to kiss anytime she looked at them. His mouth was amazing. He could stretch those lips into a smile practically a foot long, and then close them into a tiny, perfect "o".

Arnold felt that he was being watched, and looked up at Helga with curiosity. He smiled a little as she blushed and looked away from him, immediately scowling. With the darkening twilight around them, she looked...different in this light. Pretty even.

_Wait, what? Did I just think that Helga looked pretty?_ He thought, bewildered.

"Hey guys! We're sorry we're late." Eugene called as he and Curly came running. But then Eugene tripped over an upraised plank of wood and fell over onto his stomach. "I'm okay!"

"WE have arrived!" Curly declared, smoothing his hair. "So then folks, how do you propose we get to this island?"

Crystalline Island was about 20 minutes off the mainland, just northeast of Elk Island.

"I was thinking we could ask Sheena's Uncle Earl." Arnold said.

"Arrgh." Said Captain Earl from his boat. "Where do ye kids be goin' off to this cursed night?"

"We wanted to go to Crystalline Island." Arnold explained.

"Yarrrgh, crazy dang kids...ye best be knowin' that there island be haunted...'specially on this here night, Friday the 13th and all, yarrgh." The seasalt said, shaking his head.

"You heard him, Quint." Helga said, scowling. "Now are you going to take us there or not?"

"How much do you want?" Arnold then said, trying to reason.

"Yarrgh, it'll be costin' ya two-fifty. 'Specially with that there lardy landlover." Said Captain Earl, tossing a toothpick from his mouth.

Arnold sighed a little, and reached into his pockets to pull out some money. He only had a dollar and a few pennies and nickels. Looking to the others for help, the other kids dug into their pockets. Curly had a quarter, Gerald had fifty cents in dimes, Phoebe had thirty-two cents, Helga had seventy-five cents, Eugene had a dime, and Harold had six pennies and two quarters. Two dollars and sixty-three cents total.

"Here you go, you can keep the change." Arnold said, giving Captain Earl the money all put together.

"Ye kids still be crazy..." Captain Earl said, taking the money and putting it away.

The kids all then slowly climbed into the boat, even Harold, who was shaking in fear. Eugene and Curly sat on opposite sides of the Captain, Gerald and Phoebe sat together across from Arnold, who sat next to Helga, and Harold sat in the back behind Arnold and Helga, shivering in his jacket. Captain Earl undid the rope around the pier post, started the engine, and pretty soon they were sailing off into the oncoming darkness of the night.

--

Everyone was pretty quiet, as the surrounding areas of the wharfs around also became dead silent. A faint cry of a loon was heard somewhere off. As it got darker, the Captain turned on a small headlight at the front of the boat.

"_Farewell and adieu to ye fair Spanish ladies..._

_Farewell and adieu, dear ladies of Spain!_

_For we've received orders to sail back to Boston_

_And nevermore shall we see you again!_" The seasalt sang.

"Put a sock in it, Quint!" Helga snapped.

"Actually Helga, this is kind of fun!" Eugene said enthusiastically. "Okay, how does that song go again....?"

"_Show me the way to go home_

_I'm tired and I want to go bed..._" Curly sang, tapping his knees.

"_I had a little drink about an hour ago_

_And it's gone right to my head_

_Wherever I may roam_

_By land or sea or foam_

_You can always hear me singin' this song._" Everyone but Arnold and Helga joined in singing. The latter pair just exchanged weirded out glances.

"I think they watched _Jaws_ one too many times." Arnold remarked in a whisper to Helga.

"For once, I agree with you." Helga whispered back.

"_Boom boom boom_

_Show me the way go home_

_Boom boom_

_I'm tired and I want to go to bed_

_I had a little drink about an hour ago_

_And it's gone right to my head_

_Boom boom_

_Wherever I may roam, by land or sea or foam_

_You can always hear me singin' this song!_"

"Shh!" Helga suddenly said, tense. "Guys, be quiet already!"

"What's wrong?" Phoebe asked as they all stopped singing.

"Oh my gosh, it's the ghost isn't it?! Aaah!!" Harold whined. "I want my mommy! Mommy!!!"

"Shut up, you idiot!"

An eerie, creepy fog had started rolling in as they went along. The light of the full moon and the stars above, along with the boat's headlight, it was dark, and almost hard to see past the darkened depths of the water.

It was all so quiet...

"Where are we?" Arnold whispered, fear settling in his gut, but he kept his cool.

"Yargh, we be approachin' the island..." Said Captain Earl.

Phoebe gave a slight gulp, looking really nervous. Gerald noticed this, and gently took hold of her hand to comfort her. She looked at him with a soft pink blush and squeezed his hand back in thanks. Harold shivered violently, his teeth chattering loudly. Curly turned around to look out ahead, moving his glasses up his eyes a little bit. Eugene's sweet enthusiasm was fading drastically by the minute at this point.

Arnold looked out and around the boat at the water, around the eerie fog. His green eyes wide and alert, and was unconsciously moving closer to Helga, mostly out of fear, but also protection and instinct. Helga noticed this and blushed a little bit, looking at him with admiration. He seemed scared, but he was so cool about it. She was scared, but she too, was hiding it. She looked with envy at Gerald and Phoebe, who were holding hands like it was second nature to them. The petite Asian girl then gulped at a strange noise she heard, clinging onto Gerald, who was surprised for a moment, but didn't mind one bit as he brought an arm around her.

With a light sigh, Helga turned her attention back to her beloved, longing to hold on to him, as fear was eating at her gut. But she dared not. Arnold noticed her looking at the corner of his eye and turned his head to face her. She immediately looked away, blushing.

"Are you okay, Helga?" He asked in concern. "You've been awfully quiet the past couple of minutes."

"Y-Yeah...of COURSE I'm okay, football head!" Helga scowled, crossing her arms. "Why wouldn't I be okay? Sheesh! Quit asking me that!"

Arnold sighed and gave a nod, looking away. "Whatever you say, Helga."

_Oh Arnold, my sweet little Angel...why must I only react so cruelly? Why must I snap at your dear, genuine concern?_

"Hey! Land-HO!" Curly suddenly hollered, pointing up ahead.

"Where?!" Eugene turned around, looking to where Curly was pointing. But he leaned too far, and fell off the boat and into the water. Surfacing, he smiled at everyone meekly. "I'm okay!"

"Klutz." Helga rolled her eyes, and helped him back into the boat.

"Yarrrgh, that be the island..." Said Captain Earl, and slowed his boat as they approached the dock. "Be ready to disembark, ye crazy land lovers."

The fog didn't cease as they approached the island. Tall trees loomed all around in a dense formation. Hard to see past. The moon hung overhead, casting an eerie, luminous glow upon the island and the water. This was it, the creepy, abandoned, Crystalline Island.

"So here we are! Crystalline Island HO!" Curly declared, standing up and striking a pose. "Get ready guys, this will be our biggest adventure yet!"

"Thaddeus Gamelthorpe, sit DOWN!" Helga scolded him. "You'll tip the boat!"

The boat pulled up to the dock, and Curly jumped out, followed by Eugene, who tripped and fell onto the dock.

"I'm okay."

Gerald slowly climbed out next, and then turned back, holding his and out to Phoebe with a smile. "Need a hand, babe?"

Phoebe blushed more, and nodded, taking his hand and allowing him to help her out of the boat. "Thank you, Gerald."

"No problem." He smiled more and she giggled.

Next was Arnold, he climbed out onto the dock, and took a quick look around before he turned back to the boat and held his hand out to Helga. She blushed a little and accepted it, taking his hand and he helped her out of the boat.

"...Thanks, I guess." Helga said softly.

"You're welcome." Arnold smiled at her.

Her blush increased, and realized they were still holding hands. Immediately she scowled and drew her hand back as if he were on fire. Then Harold shakily climbed out of the boat, still nervous and scared.

"Thanks for the ride, sir." Arnold said.

"Yarrgh, you crazy kids. I'll be back for ye in an hour." Said Captain Earl, and started the engine, riding away, disappearing into the fog.

The seven kids all now faced the land up ahead, leading into the trees. Tentatively they walked off toward the dense trees, coming to see that there was a large, looming shape some ways beyond.

As they approached, they came to see that it was a large house. Except for the fact that it was a large, two-story log cabin, the windows on the second and first floor looked exactly like the windows of the house from _The Amityville Horror._ So it looked as if the windows, despite not having any light, were glaring down at them with creepy eyes.

Fog continued to roll in around them, the moon cast its luminous glow along the area, seeming to light up. A twig snapped under Eugene's foot, causing them all to tense up, until they realized it was nothing.

"Well! Nothing to see here! We've seen the place, seen the island, yeah, it's creepy, well, time to go! I'm waitin' for Sheena's Uncle Earl at the dock, bye!" Gerald then said and started to walk off.

"I concur with Gerald..." Phoebe said, going with him.

"Get back here, you two!" Helga went grabbed them both by the backs of their shirts. "We're all going inside this place whether you like it or not! ...Although, I guess SOMEONE should stay and keep an eye out for him."

"But what if Jackson rises up from the water and kills whoever's out here?!" Harold uttered, clutching his neck.

"It's called running away, doi!" Helga said, shaking her head. "Eugene, you're the clumsiest, you keep watch for him out here."

"Okay, Helga!" Eugene saluted, and then walked off to the dock, tripping over an upraised tree root. "I'm okay!"

"Maybe we shouldn't go into the house..." Arnold hesitated. "It's definitely condemned, and could be dangerous."

"Oh PLEASE. You don't actually believe Geraldo's story, do you?" Helga snorted. "There's not gonna be anything in there but dust, spiders, cobwebs, old furniture, and old knick knacks."

"But we-" Arnold was about to protest, when Helga grabbed his wrist and dragged him off toward the house.

"H-Hey! Wait for us!" Harold ran after them.

"I can't wait to explore that old house! Hoo hoo!" Curly said deviously, and went after them too.

Gerald and Phoebe exchanged glances, both of them nervous.

"Let's go, Pheebers...we'll be okay." Gerald assured her, taking her hand.

"I-I guess we will..." Phoebe said softly, and blushed a little. "Let's go."

The two of them followed after their friends, up around to the front of the house on the other side. A front porch graced the front of the house, accompanied by an old porch swing, and creepy, dark windows on both floors.

Out in the water, no one took notice of a football helmet peeking up from beneath the depths as it slowly surfaced...


	3. The Old Vanderburgh Place

**Whoo! And here we go again! What, oh what, will occur here on this haunted island? Let's find out!**

**Okay, something is wrong with this site. Unfortunately, I'm unable to upload new documents. It's been going on since yesterday. Has anyone else had this problem?**

**--**

"Are you sure we should go in there?" Arnold said, looking up at the house. It was giving him the creeps. "Maybe Phoebe's right, it could be really condemned."

"Oh no you don't, football head!" Helga scolded, grabbing his arm. "You were the one who suggested this whole thing, you're not turning back now!"

Arnold gulped a bit, but nodded. "You're right, Helga. I guess we could go inside and explore a little."

"Ch ch ch ha ha ha..."

Pausing in his steps, Arnold looked around for the source of the strange, whispery, scratchy noise. "...Did you guys hear something?"

"Just Harold's stomach." Gerald replied.

"Hey, shut up! I was too scared to eat!"

"I didn't hear anything." Phoebe said.

"Me neither." Helga replied. "You're just imagining things, Arnold. Relax."

"Nope, nothing." Curly said, shaking his head.

"Ch ch ch ha ha ha..."

"There it is again!" Arnold jumped, looking around frantically.

"Arnold man, calm down, you're scarin' me!" Gerald said.

"But I swear I heard something, Gerald!"

"Oh please, there's nothing out here but a bunch of squirrels or something! So just stop acting like a scaredy cat and let's go inside and-"

The bushes nearby rustled, a few twigs snapping, very loudly. Everyone's eyes darted to the said bush, watching the shrub rustle like crazy.

"YAAGH!!! IT'S JACKSON, HE'S GONNA KILL US!!!" Helga screamed, jumping into Arnold's arms.

"RUN!!" Harold yelled.

But then the perpetrator emerged from the bushes, which was a raccoon, who looked at them and then dashed away into the shadows. The kids were silent for a couple of minutes, letting this all sink in, and were dumbfounded at how so easily scared they were just now.

Helga's breathing slowed, and she then took notice of the fact that she had once again jumped into her beloved's arms out of fright. He of course was holding her, out of instinct, fear, and even on a small level he didn't know of, protection.

She allowed herself to swoon for a couple of moments, taking in his soft scent of his hair, oh, that intoxicating shampoo she loved so much. She'd recently bought a bottle, and kept it in her shrine so she could smell his hair at any time.

Now it was time to get back to reality.

"Put me down, football head! Sheesh!" Helga said and he set her down.

"Sorry, Helga." Arnold apologized.

"Whatever." Helga turned away and looked back up at the house.

"Let's g-go inside....right now!" Harold's teeth chattered again.

"Yeah! We've stalled enough! C'mon, troops!" Curly declared, marching up the stairs onto the front porch.

Everyone followed suit, taking in the rundown porch, which was surprisingly still intact, but pretty worn. An old, creaking porch swing sat on the left side, and a couple of chairs sat near it along with a small table. Rust had eaten away at the metal, but they too, were still standing.

The front doors, double doors, were firmly closed, and made of cherry wood, that although was worn with age, still stood well. The old, brass knobs were worn and dirty.

"Shall we go inside, then?" Curly gestured dramatically, and then tried to open the doors. But they wouldn't budge. "Oh dear, it seems the doors are locked!"

"Oh well, we tried! Let's go!" Gerald said, about to walk away, but Arnold stopped him.

"Hold on guys, I have an idea." Arnold said, and approached the doors, with Curly stepping aside. "Does anyone have a card?"

"I have an Ace of Clubs!"

"I have my library card." Phoebe offered, taking a card from her pocket.

"That'll do." Arnold said, taking the card from her. He slipped it between the gap of the two doors, and sure enough, unlocked them. He handed the card back to Phoebe, and then opened one of the doors, which creaked open.

"Whoop-dee-do, Arnold opened the doors." Helga rolled her eyes, though inwardly she was cheering him on for being so smart.

Gingerly, the kids went inside the house, all the while, a darkened figure in the shadows watched them from behind a tree.

--

Inside the house, it was just as dusty, desolate, and creepy as they expected. Moonlight shone in through the windows, illuminating some areas. The old furniture was still there caked in dust and cobwebs, some of the wood eaten away by termites and carpenter ants.

Up ahead to the left from the front door in the foyer, was a set of stairs leading to the second floor. Straight ahead was a corridor leading to a kitchen, to their right was the living room, and to their left was a powder room.

"Whoa..." Curly admired. "This place is just so cool! Hey look, a piano!"

An old grand piano was sitting in the living room, which Curly ran over to and started to play it. The keys were out of tune, but still produced sound.

"All this stuff is so old." Phoebe said in amazement, shining her flashlight around the room. "It's a wonder no one has come to the island and took them to an antique shop!"

"I gotta say, it's actually kinda cool..." Gerald said, feeling a little less nervous, yet he was still scared deep down.

Lightning suddenly flashed, making everyone jump, and no one noticed the strange shadow illuminated from a nearby light in the window. It started to rain hard outside, thunder rumbling in the distance.

Phoebe grabbed onto Gerald in nervous fright, and although nervous too, he smiled and brought an arm around her, which in turn made her feel safe and warm. She blushed and looked at him, smiling back in thanks.

"Man, this piano is RADICAL!" Curly declared, still playing the piano. "We're off on the road to Crystalline Island! We're having the time of our lives!" He sang off key.

"Curly! Quit it already!" Helga snarled. "Come on, let's keep exploring!"

"Oh, fine." Curly pouted, and got off the piano bench, following the others into the dining room that was just off the living room.

The dining room had an old, wooden table, also caked in dust, with some chairs, an old hutch, and a glass cabinet, all containing antique china dishes, cups and plates.

"Hey! If we bring some of this china back, we could sell it to the antique store and get rich!" Gerald piped up.

"Um...maybe we shouldn't do that, Gerald." Arnold said, and bit his lip as he went into the kitchen off the dining room.

Helga noticed this, and went after him. Maybe, just for a moment or two, she could get a moment alone with him!

Inside the kitchen, the cabinets were worn with age, everything was dusty and some areas had holes, and for some odd reason, granite counter tops, which was pretty rare in this times. The kitchen had a window over the sink, an old stove, and a small island in the middle of it all. It was a typical country style kitchen. Despite the desolate mess, it had a vintage charm to it.

"This is weird." Arnold ran his hand along one of the dusty counter tops. "The counter top is granite. And it looks brand new."

"Well, granite IS known for lasting pretty much a lifetime." Helga said matter-of-factly. "But I guess it was pretty rare back in the fifties."

She too ran her hand along the counter top, admiring the smooth, yet dusty feel. Her hand then brushed up against his, making them both stop and blush a little bit, looking away. Gerald, Phoebe, Harold and Curly then entered the kitchen after them.

Back at the front door, no one noticed it closing shut on its own.

"Whoa! Maybe they've still got some food!" Harold exclaimed, going for the pantry.

"Harold! The food here is at least 50 years old!" Arnold warned. "We can't eat it!"

"Yeah, pink boy, sheesh! Food! That's all you ever think about!" Helga agreed.

"Oh shut it, madam fortress mommy! A car only thinks about gas!"

"He does have a point." Gerald said.

"Just don't eat it, Harold, you're going to get sick."

"I concur with Arnold, the food here is long past its expiry date." Phoebe agreed.

"Hey, troops!" Curly declared suddenly, standing near a door across from the back door that lead out onto the back porch. "I found another door! I think it leads to the cellar!"

Curly opened the door, and they all peered down a flight of stairs leading into a darkened chasm, probably the basement, as Curly had said.

"I'll go first, since I've got a flashlight here." Phoebe said.

"No babe, I'll take it for you!" Gerald said, taking her flashlight and holding her hand. "Everyone, follow us!"

Phoebe blushed a little and smiled at his bravery. He too smiled and squeezed her hand affectionately. From behind, Helga watched with envy, and yet happy to see her best friend in good hands with her crush. She then suddenly felt a warm hand gently grasp hers, and Helga looked to see Arnold there next to her, holding her hand.

"It's pretty dark, so I'll help you down the stairs. Plus, it'll be better so we don't separate." Arnold said. "That is, if you're okay with that."

Helga blushed, glad for the semi-darkness as they followed Gerald and Phoebe down the stairs, followed by Curly and Harold behind them.

"Whatever floats your boat, football head..." Helga murmured, swooning at the fact he was willingly holding her hand. She looked at him again, managing a small smile.

Arnold noticed this, and smiled back at her, squeezing her hand. Her eyes widened and she looked away quickly, still blushing.

They all slowly descended the stairs, coming down into the old cellar. It greatly resembled the cellar from the movie _Psycho_. An old woodstove sat in a corner next to a pile of wood. The walls were concrete, same as the floor. A single window stood a few feet up near the ceiling, looking out onto the rain and toward the dock. Another door sat nearby, probably leading into a basement pantry.

"Man, it's like we're in some kind of horror movie." Gerald remarked.

"All of this probably hasn't been used in over fifty years." Phoebe said, grasping Gerald's hand tightly now. "I suppose there are a lot of vermin down here, or rats or something."

"AIIEE!!! RATS!!!!" Helga shrieked, jumping into Arnold's arms again as a few rats ran over their feet. "Get them away! Get them away! I hate rats!!"

"D-Don't worry, Helga..." Arnold tried to assure her, though he wasn't sure what to do.

"I'll get 'em!" Harold declared, and grabbed a rat by its tail. "That's one!"

"GAH!! PUT IT DOWN, PINK BOY!" Helga screamed, burying her face into Arnold's neck.

Curly and Harold both shrugged and then went to chase the rats away, all the while Gerald shone Phoebe's flashlight around the room, and then inspected the nearby door.

"Okay, they're gone." Harold said. "You can stop your screaming now, Helga. Man, didn't think a girl like you was scared of little rats! Ha ha!"

"Shut it, pink boy!" Helga snarled, and then realized she was still in Arnold's arms.

"Are you okay, Helga?" Arnold asked in concern. "Do you want to wait upstairs? I can take you back up if you want."

Helga swooned again for the umpteenth time that evening, and wanted nothing more than for her beloved to carry her upstairs, but she did want to see what else was here. Plus she didn't want to get too mushy just now. No matter how much she wanted to. No matter how much she wanted to savour being in his arms. Nothing in the world made her feel more safe...

_Oh Arnold, your dear concern for me is just heart-warming...being in your arms like this makes me feel so safe...oh my love, how I wish I could be within your warm and protective embrace for all time! But alas, I cannot._

"N-no, I'm fine." Helga said, and apted to nuzzle her cheek against his in an act of thanks, though she cursed herself for doing that. She couldn't help it. "I'll be fine. You can put me down now. ...Thanks anyway, though."

Arnold smiled a little and gently set her down. "You're welcome, Helga." He blushed a bit and touched the spot she nuzzled her cheek against, feeling his stomach fill up with butterflies.

"Hey you guys! Let's see what's behind this other door here!" Gerald suddenly said. "It's probably a closet or something."

"Or maybe it's a big room filled with exotic moths!" Curly declared.

They all stared at Curly strangely, as if he had said something crazy. Which was almost all the time.

"...What? You never saw _The Silence Of The Lambs_?" Curly shrugged.

"Never mind, Curly. Let's just see what's behind this door." Said Phoebe.

Gerald opened the door...

And three rotted skeletons came falling out onto the floor as the support of the door was gone.

"AAAAAAAHH!!!"

The kids all screamed and in a rush hurried up the stairs.


	4. Killer Chiller

**You know, I really wish we could insert music into fanfics for all to hear. XD**

**So here we go! The scary, epic journey of Crystalline Island continues! Here we go! ...Again. :D**

**And in case anyone is confused, I just want to clear something up. NO ONE is going to die. Trust me. I'm not that cruel, and plus, it's just like one of the urban legend episodes. No one dies in those! So don't worry, I hope I didn't scare anyone with that.**

**Oh, and I recently just heard that Craig Bartlett once said that Gerald and Phoebe are an official couple. XD Yay! I like that pairing too, besides Arnold and Helga, of course. :D I always knew since getting back into the series that there was something between them.**

**--**

The cellar door slammed shut behind them, and the kids rushed off back into the living room, scared out of their wits, panting hard. Despite all the scary urban legend adventures they had been on, not once had they ever seen a dead body! Not even in the graveyard during their search for the Ghost Bride.

"Y-You guys okay?" Gerald questioned. "Phoebe?"

"Y-Yes Gerald, I'm fine now." Phoebe calmed herself down and held his arm nervously.

"That was a dead body! Dead body! This place is haunted! Get me out of here!!" Harold cried, holding onto a pillar. "Mommy!!!"

"Calm down, pink boy!" Helga scolded. "Relax, it was just a skeleton! It wasn't going to suddenly animate and chase us! Sheesh."

Still, it was evident that she was scared to death. Arnold noticed this, and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. She visibly relaxed for a moment, allowing him to touch her, before pulling away.

"That was radical!" Curly said. "I've never seen a skeleton before! I'm gonna go down there again!"

"We should split up, we could cover the entire house that way." Arnold said, though looking around nervously as he saw something misshapen in the shadows. Or was it just his imagination?

"What?! Are you out of your mind!?" Helga chided. "Come on Arnold, I know you must have seen enough horror movies to know that's a bad idea! Anytime the group splits up, the killer goes and hacks them to pieces one by one! So no! We're not going to split up!"

Everyone suddenly froze in fear, their eyes wide. Phoebe clung to Gerald, shaking, as was he. Arnold gingerly took a step back, Curly gulped lightly, and Harold bit into his hat to avoid screaming.

"What?! What are you all looking at?!" Helga demanded.

"H-H-Helg-g-ga...b-be-behind..." Arnold stammered, shakily raising his finger to point.

That's when she saw they weren't looking at her. They were looking past her at something else. Whirling around, she came to see a tall, hulking figure standing directly behind her. Thunder crashed, and they could see a wet body, dressed in a coat, pants, and boots, covered in seaweed...wearing a football helmet and holding an ax.

Lightning struck, illuminating the room.

"AAAHH!!! IT'S JACKSON VANDERBURGH!!!!"

"HE'S GONNA KILL US!!!"

"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!!!"

The tall figure, now Jackson, grabbed Helga by her neck, holding the ax toward her face threateningly. She choked, grabbing at his arm to try to pry it off, squeezing her eyes shut, unable to scream.

"Oh no! Helga!!" Phoebe cried.

Seeing this happen, despite the fear and terror he felt, Arnold felt anger and protective instincts kicking in the moment he saw the killer grab Helga like that. Quickly he ran in to rush to her aid, pushing at him.

"Let go of her!" He yelled, bringing his karate moves back into good use.

"Helga!" Phoebe ran in too, grabbing onto Helga to try to pull her away.

Arnold kicked and karate chopped Jackson in the stomach, making him falter and letting out a strangled cry, faltering back a few steps and releasing Helga. She fell to her knees, clutching her neck and breathing hard, nearly falling onto Phoebe.

"Come on! Hurry!" Arnold grabbed Helga's hand and stood her up. "Let's get out of here now!"

They all ran off to the front door, and tried to open it, but it wouldn't open!

"Come on Arnold, hurry!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying!"

Heavy, thudding footsteps were heard, and they turned in horror to see Jackson coming toward them from the living room, ax raised, ready to strike them.

"RUUUUUNN!!" Harold squealed in terror.

Screaming, the kids all ran off in separate directions, Gerald and Phoebe ran for the basement, Curly and Harold ran out to the kitchen, Arnold ran upstairs and Helga, who was disoriented and scared, pushed Jackson hard so that he fell to the floor and then ran upstairs too.

--~~--

Downstairs in the cellar, Gerald and Phoebe hid in the compartment under the stairs, clutching each other and shivering with fright. They were so scared, barely even realizing how close they were together.

"You...you all right, Phoebe?" Gerald finally asked, rubbing her back in comfort.

"Y-Yes...I...I'm all right now...we managed to get away." Phoebe said softly, looking up at him. "Gerald...do you think the others got away?"

Uncertainty struck Gerald, and he gave a small shrug. "I hope so. I hope Jackson didn't get to them first."

"Gerald... I'm so scared... I want to go home." Phoebe sniffled, burying her face in his neck, her arms tightening around him.

A small smile crossed his face and how close she was to him, and he held her tighter too, stroking her hair to comfort her.

"Don't worry babe, we're gonna be fine...we'll all make it out here." Gerald soothed her.

Still scared, sobbing softly, Phoebe relaxed a little in his arms and managed a tiny smile. Despite the entire situation, she felt a little better now, being in Gerald's arms and with him comforting her.

"I hope so, Gerald..."

--

"Harold? Harold, stop shaking!" Curly hissed in the darkness. "Don't worry! We're gonna be fine!"

"Easy for you to say! You're crazy!" Harold whined.

"No! Because I got THIS!" Curly held up something he had found. It was a baseball bat. Though worn and aged, it was still intact. "We'll face him with this!"

"Y-You go ahead! I'm staying here!" Harold huddled into the corner of the storage closet.

"All right, then here I go!" Curly dashed out of the closet and ran for the living room. "Hey Jackson! Eat my-huh!?"

There was no one in sight.

"...Where did he go?" Curly faltered, lowering his baseball bat.

--

Upstairs, Helga was hiding in one of the bedroom closets, huddled in the darkness and scared out of her wits. Thankfully no noises were heard, though she wondered where Jackson had gone, or where he was hiding. She hugged herself, trembling with fear as she fought back tears. She hoped everyone else was okay, especially Arnold and Phoebe. They had all run off in different directions, she couldn't say for sure.

Gingerly, she peeked out into the room through the keyhole, the only light source was through the single window, with the rain pattering on it noisily. Nothing. The room was empty and caked with dust.

"Criminy...." Helga murmured, moving herself from the key hole and sinking back into the corner. "Now what do I do...my best friend and my dear beloved are out there..."

She took out her locket and though she couldn't see it, she felt it and stroked it lovingly.

"Oh Arnold my beloved....I dearly hope you're all right, my terrified and brave angel...how I long to feel your embrace in this darkest moment..." She murmured.

Helga gave a little dreamy sigh as she remembered how Arnold had run in to try to save her from being strangled, standing right up to the killer and defending her. Heck, throughout this whole ordeal he'd expressed concern to her, so much so that she couldn't help but melt.

"Arnold...I love you, darling, and I hope you're okay. ...I wish you were here..."

Suddenly, she heard the door creak open, making her eyes snap open too. She tucked her locket away in an inner pocket of her dress and huddled back in the corner, too scared to look out through the keyhole. Instead she closed her eyes, hugging her knees and burying her face in her legs, trembling.

Footsteps were heard, very quietly as if whoever was in the room was trying to be elusive. She hoped and prayed they wouldn't find her, but no, the footsteps were approaching the closet. There was no way out. So she stayed there, huddled, and waited for the slasher to find her and kill her. It was over.

The closet door open and she flinched, waiting for it.

"Helga?"

Snapping up at hearing her name, and THAT voice, Helga looked to see none other than Arnold in the doorway of the closet.

"Arnold?!"

"Helga, are you okay?" He asked in concern, coming into the closet with her.

"Arnold!!!" She couldn't help it, she was so scared, and so relieved to see him alive and well, she threw her arms around him and held him to her tightly. "You're okay! Arnold you're alive!"

Arnold was taken aback by her sudden hug attack, but he relaxed and hugged her back, he could see she was very scared, and he understood. She clung to him tightly, her face buried in his neck, and she trembled.

"Arnold I'm scared...I'm so scared..."

"It's okay, Helga, I'm here for you, it's okay." Arnold soothed, rubbing her back and stroking her hair.

The dire situation at hand must have been getting to her, because she didn't push him away or start calling him names. She just didn't have the strength to do so, not like this. They were about to die, and the last thing she wanted was for them to die on bad terms.

No, she wanted to accept his concern, she wanted him to hold her in his arms. She needed it.

"Don't leave me, Arnold...just hold me..." She sniffled, clinging to her beloved.

"I won't, Helga. I'm here, don't worry." He whispered to her, holding her tight. "I won't leave you."

Still scared, she managed to relax in his arms and allowed herself to smile a little.

--~~--

Downstairs back in the cellar, when all has been quiet for some time, Gerald and Phoebe gingerly crept out from under the stairs, making sure the killer wasn't there to kill them. Luckily, nothing.

"Okay, coast is clear. C'mon!" Gerald whispered.

Phoebe nodded and followed out after him, clutching his hand. As they came out, they went and approached the skeletons that had fallen out of the closet earlier when they all had been down here. Gerald gulped, and nudged the skull lightly with his shoe. A cake of dust fell off it.

"I-Is those things...real?" Gerald gulped.

Phoebe took a breath and bravely approached one of the skeletons, inspecting the bones, the hair that was still hanging on to the skull, the tattered bits of clothing. She shone her flashlight along it and nodded.

"Yes. It's a real skeleton. They all are ...I suppose Patricia Vanderburgh hid the bodies down here after she killed the babysitters..."

"Well I'll be...." Gerald uttered, covering his mouth with his hand. "This ain't good at all, Phoebe. We need to get the heck out of here."

"I concur with that, Gerald." Phoebe murmured, looking up at him. "What should we do?"

"I've got no idea...we'll have to figure something out somehow." He gave her a soft smile. "I got your back, Phoebe. Don't worry."

Phoebe smiled back and gave him a little hug. "I have your back as well, Gerald."

The two parted and looked at each other, still holding hands, their eyes meeting. Slowly and slowly, they moved in closer to each other.

"Gerald! Phoebe!"

The startled pair looked up to see Curly come bounding down the stairs with a baseball bat in hand, looking unharmed.

"Curly! You're all right, man! What happened? Where's Harold?" Gerald asked, surprised and relieved. "...And what's with the bat?"

"I'm peachy! Harold's okay too, he's hiding in the closet upstairs. I found this bat there too, and I went out to go find Jackson, but he was nowhere to be seen! No idea where he went!" Curly exclaimed. "So! What's up?"

"We were just examining the skeletons that fell out from the closet earlier. And they appear to be the dead bodies of the babysitters." Phoebe explained. "We assume Patricia Vanderburgh hid them here after she killed them. It would make sense, since they are fifty year old skeletons by now."

"Oh MAN!" Curly went over and looked at the skeletons. "This is radical! Crazy!"

"You're crazy." Gerald muttered, rolling his eyes.

"I'm serious! You guys ever that one story, about the bride who got locked inside of a trunk in an attic, and no matter how many times she screamed for help, no one knew she was there. And then many years later, a maid finds the trunk, opens it, and there's the missing bride! And by then she's a skeleton!" Curly recited dramatically, waving his arms for emphasis as lightning struck outside and thunder crashed in the distance.

Gerald and Phoebe stared at him, unblinking, and pretty unfazed.

"Curly, I believe that's just a fictional horror story." Phoebe told him. "Do you know where Arnold and Helga are?"

"Ah...not really." Curly admitted. "But I think they might be upstairs on the second floor!"

"Oh, I hope they're okay." Phoebe murmured. "Come on, let's go find Harold and we'll go upstairs and find Arnold and Helga."

"Then we'll get the heck outta this house and off this island!" Gerald added. "C'mon guys, let's go!"

The three of them carefully and quietly crept up the steps, one step at a time. They were old, and creaked awfully loud with each step. It always made them wonder why stairs or the floors seemed to be the loudest when they were trying to be stealthy. Gerald, leading the way with Phoebe's flashlight, gripped her hand tightly from where she was following behind him.

Gingerly, Gerald slowly pushed open the door, and they came out into the kitchen, with no one in sight. Not a sound, except for the rain pounding outside, was heard. Seeing as it was safe, Gerald motioned for them to follow him, and they stepped out of the cellar.

SLAM!

"Shh!" Gerald hissed, a finger to his lips.

"Sorry." Curly whispered, having slammed the cellar door.

Sighing, Gerald shone the flashlight around the kitchen once more, and motioned for Curly to go to the closet he'd been previously hiding in with Harold. The spectacled boy nodded and rushed to the said closet, going in and coming back out with Harold, who was still shaking in fear.

"Okay, that's nearly all of us." Phoebe whispered. "Now we just need to find Arnold and Helga."

"You said they were upstairs. Come on, let's go-"

Gerald was cut off when the sound of loud, heavy, thudding footsteps were heard. They all froze in place, and Gerald shut off the flashlight, they all huddled together in the middle of the kitchen, shaking with fright.

To their horror, the footsteps were coming from _the second floor_.

--

This was the end. They could feel it.

Arnold and Helga huddled in the closet, holding each other tightly and softly trembling in fright, keeping as quiet as they could. The loud, heavy footsteps out in the hallway were getting closer, closer... Any minute now, Jackson would be in the room and would find them hiding, and kill them.

There wasn't anything they could do now, they were trapped.

Helga was shaking hard in his arms, letting out soft, scared sobs, and Arnold held her tighter, his heart wrenching. He'd never seen her so terrified, so full of despair in his entire life. And he hated seeing her like this. But he knew all he could do was hold her. It would be over soon...and he knew it. No matter how much he wanted to prevent it otherwise.

"A-Arnold...." Helga's broken, soft voice quavered.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Helga..." Arnold whispered soothingly. "I'm here with you... don't worry. I-I won't let you die alone."

"Arnold....before we die...." She looked at him a bit through the darkness and choked back a sob. "I wanted to tell you, I'm sorry for everything, I don't hate you.... I...I love..."

His grip on her tightened more, and his eyes met hers in the darkness. He knew what she was going to say.

"I know, Helga... I feel the same way. I love you too."

Helga's shoulders trembled, and despite the terror and the despair of their impending deaths, she smiled widely, tears running down her face. Arnold smiled at her, and raised his hand to her face, feeling the wetness of her tears. Maybe they were about to die, but at least, they could die happy. It was absurd how they'd waited until they were about to be killed to reveal their feelings, but at least they did none the less.

They leaned in and kissed each other, making it last as much as they could, holding each other close. Arnold nearly cried himself, seeing now that it was all over and he had barely any time to show her his love. Still, Helga kissed him with all she had, and he did too.

_At least she'll die loved..._ He thought.

They would have kissed longer, but the sudden slamming of the door in the room they were in caused them to break apart. Arnold held Helga closer to him, and shut his eyes, and Helga did too, clinging to him for dear life.

This was it. Death was soon approaching. Their dreaded, impending doom.

But at least they would die together, and in in love.

"Don't let go, Arnold..."

"Never. I won't."

The loud, heavy footsteps then approached, making the floor shake a bit. Closer and closer they came, to their hiding place. The two kids shivered, holding each other, eyes tightly shut, as they waited for it to be over. That was all they could do. Wait.

Then, the door swung open.


	5. The Final Friday

The tall, hulking figure stood in the doorway of the closet, staring down at the two kids huddled together. He raised his ax, lightning flashing as it illuminated the room, making the blade seem to gleam.

"Hey Jackson!"

Jackson whirled around, just in time to see Gerald launch something at him from the doorway of the room. It was a plate, which he threw like a Frisbee. The plate struck the slasher's football helmet, sending him a little off balance.

Curly then ran in, and started hitting his baseball bat against Jackson repeatedly, which in turn made him stumble and drop the ax to the ground. Gerald and Phoebe motioned to Arnold and Helga for them to come out. They nodded and fled from the closet, and Curly gave Jackson one last whack, making him fall to the floor, and followed after them.

"C'mon guys, hurry! Let's get out of here!" Gerald said.

Just as escape was near, Arnold suddenly felt his ankle get caught in a strong grip and he fell to the floor, coming to see that Jackson, still on the floor, was now grabbing his ankle and attempting to drag him back. Trying to pull his ankle out, Arnold scratched across the floor to try to free himself, and he looked at his friends.

"Go, guys! Save yourselves!" He yelled to them. His eyes met Helga's, who was frozen in fear and looking as if she had been wiped of any thought. Despite the situation, a small smile came to his face as he desperately tried to free himself, and with his eyes, once more told her he loved her.

That was all the motivation to get back to reality that Helga needed.

Fear was wiped away, and Helga immediately ran in to his aid, much to the surprise of everyone else, who had expected her to take his invitation and get the heck out of there. Then again, they knew she wasn't that heartless.

"LET GO OF HIM YOU BUTTWIPE!" Helga yelled and stomped hard on the slasher's arm. "Grab him, Gerald!"

Gerald nodded and ran in, grabbing Arnold's hand and attempting to pull him free while Helga clobbered Jackson like crazy, and then kicked off his football helmet, revealing his face.

"Stinky?!" Helga exclaimed.

"Stinky?!" Everyone else echoed.

Stinky lay on the floor, and grinned sheepishly at them. "Um...hey thar, fellers."

"Stinky?! What the heck, man?!" Gerald exclaimed.

"You scared me so much that I wet my pants!" Harold hollered.

"What were you thinking?!" Helga snarled.

"S-Sorry 'bout that fellers...only wanted to scare y'all a little...s-sorry if anyone got hurt..." Stinky said sheepishly, letting go of Arnold and standing up.

"So all this time, YOU were Jackson Vanderburgh!?" Arnold accused angrily. "I can't believe you did that!"

"That was crazy, man!" Said Curly. "And with a real ax, too!"

"It ain't real, it just looks real." Stinky held the ax out to them, which turned out to be hard rubber. It read _Made In China_ on one side. "See?"

"Fine! We'll deal with you later, Stinko." Helga muttered. "Come on you guys, let's get the heck off this forsaken island."

"For once Helga, I agree with you." Gerald said, taking Phoebe's hand and they walked out of the room.

And they encountered a woman in a sweater, wavy brown hair, and also holding an ax, making them all jump and scream. Helga screamed and jumped into Arnold's arm again, for the third time that night.

"Never mind it, Sid. The gag's up." Stinky said.

"Awww...really?" Sid took off his wig. "Boy howdy, I didn't think it'd be over that fast!"

"You boys should've thought of that BEFORE you got it in your heads to scare us to death!" Helga yelled as Arnold set her down. "Never mind! We're leaving this place and I mean NOW!"

"Boy howdy..." Sid sighed. "Fine, let's go."

"Let's get out of here! I'm starving!"

"I want to take one of those skeletons back with me! Just think of all the things we could find out from it!"

"Don't even think about it, Curly."

"Awww..."

"Let's just go!"

"I concur with that."

--

The kids all left the house, going out through the back door, and made their way back down to the dock in the rain. Eugene was there waiting for them with his umbrella, waving to them frantically.

"You guys! You're all okay! That's just great! What happened? Why are Sid and Stinky-" Eugene was running to them and then he tripped and fell into the dirt. "I'm okay!"

"Long story, Eugene." Said Arnold, helping him up. "The point is though, we have to get off this island and go home. It all just turned out to be one big joke again."

"Heh heh heh...." Stinky murmured, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Yeah, sure..." Sid muttered, shaking his head. "Listen guys, we're sorry. We just wanted to have some fun."

"Sorry ain't good enough, bucko!" Helga snarled, holding her fist to him. "You just won a one-way ticket with Old Betsy!"

"You guys! It's Sheena's Uncle Earl! He's coming!" Gerald yelled from the dock.

"YAY! Now we can get out of here and get some real food!"

"Radical! Let's go, troops!"

"Yay! Let's get off this place and-" Thump! "I'm okay!"

"Wonderful, let's go!"

They all went running for the dock, except Arnold and Helga, who stayed behind for a moment.

"Listen, Helga...about what we said there..."

"Oh NO you don't, football head!" Helga cut him off, her finger on his nose. "You are NOT weaseling your way out of this one! The cat's out of the bag! Heat of the moment or not, no one says that kind of thing unless they mean it or they're a complete jerk who loves to put stupid ideas into people's heads! And I know you're not a jerk, so of course you meant it! Deal with it, Arnoldo."

Arnold blinked at this, surprised by her reaction. He had expected her to deny it all, but she didn't. Why was that? Was it because since he finally told her he felt the same way, she didn't feel the need to deny it? He nearly wanted to, since he felt nervous about it all and was afraid of how she'd take it now that they were alive, but seeing her tell him to live up to it, he smiled.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Arnold said softly. "And Helga?"

"What?" Her glare didn't cease.

He smiled more. "I won't tell anyone what happened. It'll be our secret for now. Until you're ready."

Now it was Helga's turn to be surprised. He had owned up to it, meaning that he did mean what he said, and he was willing to play the game her way. That was Arnold for you, taking your feelings into consideration.

Helga gave a smile and lowered her finger from his nose. "I was hoping you'd say that." She then reverted back to a bully and pointed her finger at his nose again. "So DON'T breathe a word to anyone, bucko!"

Arnold laughed. "I won't, Helga. I promise."

"Hey Arnold! You guys coming or what?" Gerald called to them from the dock.

"Coming, Gerald!" Arnold called back to him, and turned his look to Helga. "C'mon, let's get off this island."

She nodded in agreement and followed him to the dock, trying her hardest to keep the lovesick, dazed smile off her face. The rain stopped then, clearing the air around them. However, the creepy fog from earlier was returning.

On the dock, they loaded up into the boat, sitting in the same places as they did coming here, only now, with the additions of Sid and Stinky. Along with Captain Earl, was Phil, who had come along, having brought some blankets for the kids.

"Grandpa, how did you know we were here?" Arnold questioned, wrapping one blanket around himself and Helga.

"Well short man, your ol' Grandpa had his ways!" Phil winked at him. "Your Grandma overheard you and your friend talking about going to some island, and then you were gone a lot longer than you said you'd be back! I went down to the pier and found Captain Earl here asleep in his boat, so I asked him if he'd seen you kids and when I heard, oh, you kids doing the crazy thing and going to Crystalline Island on Friday The 13th, we had to get going right away! You kids were crazy to do that!"

"Yargh, that be what I told 'em...wouldn't listen to me, crazy kids..." Captain Earl said, shaking his head. "Ye kids were lucky this time."

"No thanks to these two bozos." Helga muttered.

"At least we made it." Gerald said brightly.

"We did. And thank you for everything, Gerald. You were so brave." Phoebe said sweetly to him.

Gerald grinned and held her hand under the blanket. "No problem, babe. It wasn't easy, but I had to stay brave in the face of danger to keep my friends and you safe. I'm just glad we're all okay, and I'm glad I got to protect you." He then leaned in and pecked her lightly on the lips, not even caring that he did that in front of them.

Phoebe blushed bright red her eyes widening at his little act of affection. She placed her free hand over her lips, and then giggled a little, laying her head on his shoulder and sighing happily.

Watching this little scene, Helga smiled and felt happy for her best friend then. Sure she and Gerald didn't exactly get along, but she knew he was a good kid and really liked Phoebe a lot and she really liked him back, so she wasn't the least bit worried.

She looked at Arnold then, who had been watching the scene too. He was smiling also, seeming to be happy for his best friend. Arnold then paused and looked at Helga as he saw her watching him. He smiled at her, and then took a chance, taking her hand under the blanket, so no one could see it. A soft blush marred her cheeks, and he entwined his fingers with hers. Despite it all, she smiled at him lovingly, and he smiled too, with a loving gaze.

Phil noticed, so did Gerald and Phoebe, who all smiled at the cute little scene.

A few minutes of silence passed, no one saying much of anything, at least until...

"Hey! Who wants to come back to the boarding house?" Phil then announced. "You kids must have had a rough night! Why don't you all come back with us to the house and have one big sleepover?"

"That's a great idea, Grandpa." Arnold agreed. "You guys feel like it?"

"You bet, Arnold!" Gerald gave him a thumbs up.

"I'd like that, Arnold." Phoebe smiled.

"You betcha!" Curly grinned.

"I'd love to come, thank you, Arnold!" Eugene said enthusiastically.

"As long as we can have a great snack, too!" Harold declared.

"Ya sure, Arnold? I mean, after all we did..." Stinky hesitated.

"Nah, don't worry about it, Stinky. It's all over, and neither of us got hurt." Arnold assured. "Although...Stinky, why did you grab Helga by her neck like that? You could have seriously hurt her or worse."

"Huh?" Stinky stared at him weirdly. "But I didn't grab her by her neck. I was hidin' upstairs the whole time! It was only when I saw you an' Helga go into the closet in the room that I came out! I was tryin' to scare y'all, I'd never hurt ya!"

"It wasn't me, I was dressed as Patricia Vanderburgh and I stayed in hiding in the upstairs bathroom!"

"What?!" Helga gasped.

"Say what? That wasn't you?!" Gerald exclaimed.

"So if that wasn't either of you...then who was that we saw in the living room..." Arnold stammered.

All the kids exchanged nervous glances, and looked back at the slowly seeming to disappearing island behind them, seeing it slowly become concealed in the creepy fog that was settling in. With no answers, they decided to just let it go for now, since they were leaving and were not going to go back again.

"Well, um, anyway, so we'll all go back to my house and we can watch some movies together." Arnold said. "Anyone up for some horror movies?"

"Oooh, you're a bold kid, Arnold." Gerald told him, but he didn't mean about the movies.

Arnold smiled. "I do what I can, Gerald."

"Sounds good, football head. Just don't get too chummy with me." Helga said, though she loved the idea of watching horror movies all night next to her beloved. Maybe, just maybe, she would allow herself to snuggle with him...

He smiled at her, and squeezed her hand under the blanket, and she smiled back and squeezed his hand in return.

"Whatever you say, Helga." He said lovingly, and smiled more at her blush.

"_Show me the way to go home_

_I'm tired and I want to go to bed_" Eugene began to sang.

"No singing, Eugene."

"Aww, but it's such a catchy tune!"

--

The boat roared off into the night, heading back to the main land. As it went, a head encased within a football helmet rose up from the water, watching them leave silently. It then disappeared back beneath the depths of Crystalline Lake...


	6. Epilogue & Announcement

**Okay, here's a little epilogue for you guys. XD I also have a big announcement, so please read it! And don't worry, it's not bad. It's very good. :) Enjoy!**

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The kids were now all back at the Sunset Arms, watching some horror movies and every now and then reminiscing their little adventure on Crystalline Island. Of course, no one could forget the question of what had happened when the supposed killer had grabbed Helga by her neck and nearly killed them all in the house. It hadn't been Stinky or Sid, it wasn't Eugene since he had been outside the whole time, and they were pretty sure no one else knew about their adventure.

So who was it? Who was the perpetrator? It left them with an uneasy feeling.

Had it really been Jackson Vanderburgh? No, it couldn't be. And yet, somehow, it made sense.

Well, none the less, it was all over now, and they wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

Now they all just sat around, in their PJ's, now watching _Dawn of the Zombies_. Curly, Eugene and Sid were all sitting on the floor on their stomachs, Stinky was sitting in the recliner near the couch, Harold was at one end of the couch, Gerald and Phoebe sat next to each other against the couch holding hands, and Arnold and Helga sat next to each other on the other end of the couch, having been sitting a few paces away from each other at first. Helga would scoot closer to him, jump at a scary scene, and then Arnold eventually brought his arm around her waist. Helga allowed it, deciding to just let him in for a change, even if they were in front of their friends.

Helga looked at Arnold and managed a small smile. He noticed at the corner of his eye and smiled back at her.

"Love you, football head." She whispered very quietly in his ear.

Arnold chuckled and brought her a little closer. "I love you too, Helga."

Though not as scared as they had all been during their adventure, they all continued to watch, in silence, and all enjoying each other's company. Most especially the two newly formed couples.

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Meanwhile, back on the island...

"Oh MAN, that was just awesome! The looks on their faces was just the best!" Wolfgang exclaimed, taking off his costume.

"Heh heh, yeah man, it was." Edmond agreed. "Didn't even know what hit 'em!"

"For sure. Now let's get the heck out of here."

"Right with ya, Wolfgang."

Just as they turned to go, they suddenly came to face a tall, hulking figure standing ahead of them. Wet, covered in seaweed, tattered clothing, wearing a football helmet, and, carrying an ax.

"Dude..."

"Wait, if I'm here, and you're there...then who the heck is that?!" Wolfgang uttered in terror.

"I'm not waiting around here to find out!" Edmond made a run for their boat.

"WAIT FOR ME!!!" Wolfgang screamed, running after him.

THE END

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**XD And there you have it, folks. :D**

**All right, now for my announcement.**

**I'm looking for someone to collaborate a Hey Arnold! fanfic with. If you're interested, message me. :D Theme: Elevator. Trapped. Arnold and Helga. Alone. ...Love. **

**Please, guys? OwO Thank you!  
**


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